Read the latest updates on the Hajj pilgrimage here
Pilgrims celebrated on the third day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage that began on Monday.
An enormous number of pilgrims traversed the holy sites in the last few days and have now completed most of their Hajj rituals.
"We are very lucky to be here, we feel like the chosen ones," said Saima Khan, from the UAE.
"It is hard and exhausting, but rewarding in the end. Today we just celebrated Eid with the women in our tent, and we are just resting it out," she added.
"We wished each other Eid Mubarak, wore new clothes in light colours – we are all wearing pastels, colours of the summer."
Last year, Saudi authorities allowed one million pilgrims to participate in Hajj. This year, the number exceeded 1.8 million.
"We did our official sacrifice early this morning. We are just happy to have accomplished our rites and to be resting in our air-conditioned tents," Ms Khan said.
Pilgrims who had performed Hajj before have said they are "very impressed" with the positive development of Hajj and the kingdom's security services and volunteers.
"When I compare today's Hajj, it is very different. We didn't have air conditioners, coolers or such tents before," India's former Hajj Committee chairman Salamat Ullah said.
"There are so many trees now! The health measures and staff are so good, the guards and police forces are commendable," he added.
"I am doing Hajj (again) after 15 years, there is a huge difference in the way Hajj authorities have developed the sites", Egyptian pilgrim Nada Youssef said.
"Most of all I am impressed by the security services here who are managing the large numbers.
"The soldiers were very helpful and very kind. They sprayed us with water all the time wearing a smile on their face," she added.
"Every group had its own time to use the train to be transported from one place to the other, which was a blessing," Dr Hadir Eldessouky, an Egyptian pilgrim who lives in Jeddah, said.
'Exhausted but overjoyed'
Pilgrims made their way from Muzdalifah to Jamarat in the early hours of Wednesday to complete the 'stoning of the devil' ritual.
"Jamarat was very well organized and smoothly going," Dr Eldessouky said.
"Though we lacked water a bit and we walked a long way, there were cold water tanks in the alley."
Jamarat is a three-pillar structure that symbolises the devil.
Saudi authorities have created an easier path to reach the structure in order to avoid overcrowding, stampeding and pilgrims getting hurt in the process.
"We collected a handful of pebbles and brought them with us to Jamarat, and once we finished stoning the devil we retired to our rooms," Aisha, a Pakistani pilgrim, said.
"We had mixed emotions, we were exhausted from the long journey but overjoyed that we had been able to complete the rituals of Hajj", she added, remarking that the ritual had been well organised.
"We just went to the first floor, did the stoning and moved on to make way for the next group of pilgrims," she said.
"There were wheelchairs and volunteers who took one sick lady all the way from the entrance to the finish."
Pilgrims will get a chance to rest in Mina on Wednesday after the stoning ritual.
"We are in Mina; our experience has been great in regards of our communication with guides and administrators, and we are given timely updates and procedures", said Nuvera, a Pakistani pilgrim, part of a group that brings UK- and US-based Pakistanis to Hajj every year.
Hajj pilgrims will need to perform one last circumambulation around the Kaaba, the Tawaf Al Ifadah, before they return to their home countries.
However, many pilgrims will choose to continue their journey after their pilgrimage and stay in Madinah, the site of the Prophet Mohammed's tomb.
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The alternatives
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Creator: Lauren LeFranc
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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THE BIO
Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking
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Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
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Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
The biog
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Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
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